In 2010, I organized a community group in Davis Square to increase interest in bringing a bookstore to our neighborhood. Around 20 residents worked to do research, flesh out a business plan, and otherwise make it easier for a potential bookstore starter to take the leap and open a bookstore in our neighborhood. We received coverage from The Boston Globe, Shelf World, Wicked Local Somerville, and several other local publications.
Now more than ever, Davis Square is a great place to start a business. We have an increasingly active local business association, a new non-profit promoting local independent businesses, and a business-friendly city government. While our project is no longer active, our research and ideas remain, and I hope will be helpful to those considering such a business:
- Interviews & feedback with other local bookstores.
- Bookstore business plan / market research.
- Ideas & resources for Davis Square bookstore starters.
Although Somerville has gained a used book store (The Book Shop, in Ball Square) and continues to be served by new-books seller Porter Square Books, the increasing amount of students and urban professionals living here, and Davis Square’s status as Somerville’s commercial center means that a bookstore could do well here.
- If you or someone you know are interested in starting a bookstore, I’m happy to help if I can. You can reach me by email at: Jay [@at@] WhatToDoBoston [.dot.] com
- If you haven’t already, take a look at my Boston blog for news and thoughts on other local happenings.
- I’d like to give a special thanks to several of the volunteers that helped with the project:
- Evan Fleischer – writer / jokester / journalist.
- Kate Estrop – editor, writer, and co-organizer of the Boston Writer’s Meetup.
- Krysta Chauncey – Tufts Post-doc and doctoral assistant at the National research council.
- shaunalynn duffy – partner at TheSprouts.org